The US ambassador to India said similar actions in the past have not affected the relation between the two countires either, and neither would this recent ban.

The United States on Friday sought to downplay the ban on outsourcing clamped by the government of its Ohio state, saying similar actions in the past have not affected Indo-US ties, which have grown to a far greater level.

US ambassador to India, Timothy Roemer, asserted that the partnership between the countries was "indispensable".

"I would refer to statements by Infosys and other Indian companies on the recent Ohio development ... They had very little, if any, impact on US-Indian business," he told reporters in the national capital.

Roemer said Indo-US relations have reached a new stage which now also includes counter terrorism and green partnership, apart from trade and commerce.

"We are talking today about the indispensable partnership between the United States and India. We are talking about global cooperation on terrorism, economics and commerce and job creation in both the countries."

"We are making considerable progress. India has moved from being the US' 21st largest-trading partner to the 14th largest-trading partner over the last five or six years. That is the real progress in this relationship," the envoy said.

Some similar actions from certain other states in the US - passing resolutions banning outsourcing in 2005 - did not affect relations between the two countires either, Roemer added.

Last month, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, of Democratic Party, banned outsourcing arguing that this undermines economic development and has unacceptable business consequences for his state.